Sunday, February 10, 2008

Wresting Democracy from the voters


It's beginning to seem like the juggernaut is parked on a hill, the parking brake is off, and it's beginning to roll. After wins today in Maine, and at the Grammy's, Barack Obama seems to be the Democratic candidate who, increasingly, has captured the imagination of voters (in and out of the music industry). But to continue the music industry metaphor, and specifically the size of rock venues, Obama is to U2 as Hillary Clinton is to Journey (yes, "don't stop believing").

Still, the race is close, and the threat of reinstated votes in Florida and Michigan, and the upswing in early commitals by superdelgates, is worrying. Both issues seem like Democratic party mistakes. The disavowal of Florida and Michigan is already causing quibbling that will escalate as the convention nears, and the super-delegate is beginning to look like just another way to remove the power from the voter, and place it where politicians like, in the hands of power brokers. This is where Clinton's "experience" may pay off. Technically, she hasn't got much more real governmental management or foreign policy experience then Obama, but she's been around the block when it comes to finding favor amongst the political elite.

Today, in the New York Times, Frank Rich published a thinly-disguised lambasting of the Clintons and their ruthless hunger for the office of the most powerful leader on earth. It's called: Next Up for Democrats: Civil War. It may well have been called: Trench Warfare With Bill and Hillary.

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